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The Origin Darwin’S Own Writings Magazine R different from the other epistemological corroborated and extended by further Features entities mentioned above, in that work. So, even with Wallace or some one can fully understand evolution unknown taking Darwin’s place, it without ever having read a single line of is safe to say that by now we would Back to The Origin Darwin’s own writings. This is because have an idea how the different kinds what Darwin laid out as a theory has of organisms diversified. On the other This year’s 200th birthday of Charles become superseded by the empirical hand, what Darwin did is in a sense Darwin and 50th anniversary of the confirmation and theoretical expansion not so different from what, say, Kant publication of his book On the Origin of of the concept of evolution — in did, in that he erected a theoretical Species is a welcome occasion to take a particular its mathematical formulation framework aimed at explaining the moment and reflect on what Darwin, that and its unification with genetics. world and created concepts that were father figure of biology, and particularly So, if we can understand evolution at the time largely abstract, such as his works mean today — aside from all perfectly well without having to read natural selection. After all, in Darwin’s the due veneration and the obligatory Darwin, what would have happened if time, biology was far away from being lip-service. Is the value of Darwin’s Darwin hadn’t been born? Of course, the empirical, experimental science book today only that of a historical we would not have The Origin. But it is today and was in its reliance on document, the initial formulation of a observation, description and reasoning, fundamental, revolutionary idea? Most much more like philosophy or history would of course agree that the idea of — which is why it used to be referred evolution, which since has influenced to as ‘natural philosophy’ or ‘natural human culture beyond the realm of pure history’. science, is what really matters. But what So, what about today’s actual about the book itself? relevance of Darwin’s book itself, The very fact that one is tempted to in practical terms? Though it still ask such a question perhaps reflects is common practice to directly or the fundamentally different role the indirectly refer to Darwin’s writings in individual plays in science as opposed the scientific literature, is there actual to, for instance, the arts and humanities. value in treating them, in particular The A simple way of highlighting this Origin, as if it they were philosophical difference is to speculate how the world works that ought to be read in the would be different if a given scientist or original? Is it worthwhile, today, 50 artist had not been born. It can be safely years past its publication, to go back said that we would not have ‘Tristan and to The Origin and read it? And, does Isolde’, ‘Don Quixote’, or the ‘Critique of anyone actually still read it? With these Pure Reason’ had Wagner, Cervantes or questions in mind, we started asking Kant never lived. At the same time, we scientists from different areas of biology would surely know the laws of gravity, — from molecular biology to ecology — the planet Uranus or the structure of to read or re-read The Origin for Current DNA, had Newton, Herschel or Watson Biology and share their thoughts, much and Crick never lived. In the case of as one would do in a book club. artistic or philosophical works, then, The responses, which are printed the role of the individual is that of a in the following pages, are excitingly creator rather than that of a discoverer, Charles Darwin (12.2.1809 – 19.4.1882). With diverse: some had already read the which makes artistic or philosophical permission from John van Wyhe ed., The book many times while others had never achievements so much more contingent Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online touched it before. While of course no on the person of the achiever. (http://darwin-online.org.uk). biologist can but be in awe about the This fundamental difference is fundamental importance of Darwin’s reflected in the way information is given the fortunate historical situation, idea for biology, the perspectives on transmitted. When a student of biology it can be comfortably argued that Alfred his book 50 years down the line range learns today about DNA structure, Russell Wallace would have stepped in from literal excitement to the feeling she will most likely read a chapter in and, as it were, filled that ‘empty niche’. that, as a text, The Origin itself may a textbook that simply summarises To what extent he would have done so, well be dated by now. However, the the known facts. She can understand however, and how ‘Wallaceism’ would thoughts that (re-)reading The Origin the structure of the DNA double helix have been different may be a point stimulated in the members of our virtual without ever having read Watson and of debate over a drink at this year’s book club show that — despite the fact Crick’s papers, in fact without even many celebrations; after all, Wallace, that evolutionary fact and theory can be knowing who they are. The same is not surpassed by Darwin, never bothered to grasped without having to read Darwin’s true for the humanities: a student of formulate his theory in full. original works — The Origin as a book is Kantian philosophy will be expected to This uncertainty perhaps betrays still very powerful and very much alive. read Kant’s original works, a student of the notion that The Origin is somewhat And what better way of commemorating Marxism will have to read Marx. of a hybrid; on the one hand, seen in the anniversary of the man and his book Speaking of -isms, what about retrospect, it has characteristics of than by revealing its enduring vitality? ‘Darwinism’ in that context? At face a scientific discovery in that it builds value, Darwinian evolution is no on empirical data and becomes Florian Maderspacher Magazine R punctuated patterns in the fossil record punctuated equilibrium, molecular Feature could be caused by rapid evolution drive, the idea of symbiosis as an in small peripheral populations that evolutionary force, evo-devo, and the rapidly supplant their ancestors. The notion that evolution is driven by the (Re)Reading The ‘Kluge-Kerfoot hypothesis’, published self-organization of molecules. Some in 973, proposes that the traits most of these ideas are worthwhile, others Origin variable within populations are those simply silly; but none do more than add most likely to differ markedly between a room or two to the Darwinian manse. Charles Darwin’s 1859 book On the populations. This idea, now the Often declared dead, Darwinism still Origin of Species is much referenced, foundation for sequence-based tests refuses to lie down. So by all means especially in this double anniversary of natural selection on genes, appears let’s retain the term. It is less of a year. But, does anyone still read it? in chapter five ofThe Origin. Darwin jawbreaker than ’modern evolutionary And if so, what is the book itself like even suggests that family selection biology’, and has not, as was feared, as a text? We have asked biologists might explain the evolution of sterile misled people into thinking that our from a range of fields— evolutionary insect castes. field has remained static since 859. biologists, but also geneticists, No popular work of science — and What better honorific than ’Darwinism‘ ecologists, paleontologists and we must remember that this book to fête the greatest biologist in history? molecular biologists — to re-read (or was written mainly for the public, not read) The Origin for Current Biology. Darwin’s colleagues — ever had such Jerry A. Coyne is an evolutionary geneticist Below are the responses, contributed a dramatic impact on both scientific in the Department of Ecology and Evolution by: Andrew Berry, Matthew Cobb, opinion and human consciousness. at the University of Chicago. He works on Simon Conway-Morris, Jerry Coyne, Buttressed by innumerable facts the origin of species, using Drosophila as Hopi Hoekstra, Peter Lawrence, Robert gleaned personally or through tireless a model organism, and is the author of the forthcoming book ‘Why Evolution is True’. May, Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard, Mark correspondence, Darwin works his Ptashne, Matt Ridley and Marlene Zuk magic with a subtle but irresistible style of argument. He asks rhetorical Robert May questions, disputes with himself, Jerry Coyne raises and answers every objection On being invited to re-read Darwin’s to his own theories, and in the end Origin of Species and comment on it, Many of my colleagues say that so convinced his readers that they my first question was which edition. we should quietly shelve the term not only bought his ideas, but in the As Darwin sought to mollify critics, ‘Darwinism’. We don’t, they argue, process jettisoned three thousand successive editions lengthened, call classical physics ‘Newtonism’, years of religious explanation for life until the sixth and final edition is nor relativity ‘Einsteinism’. So why and its apparent design. twice the length of the first. Some of saddle our field with an eponymous And from the outset Darwin got it these changes are adumbration of personality cult, especially when we’ve mostly right. Evolution occurred, all examples to strengthen an argument, learned so much since The Origin of species have common ancestors, others are circumlocutions to avoid Species appeared in859? Why not call and the main (but not the only) engine problems (for example, given that it ‘modern evolutionary biology’, or the of evolutionary change is natural the nuclear forces which fuel the insidious-sounding ‘neo-Darwinism’? selection.
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